Chapter 48 Auction 1: The Worn Paper Scroll
"Who are they?"
Bai Ji stood beside Xu Xing, maintaining a slight bow to make it easier for him to ask questions. Hearing her question, she softly replied, "Fairy Yu, these two are disciples of Shuiyun Immortal Capital. They are stationed in Luohu City year-round and work at the trading house."
After saying that, seeing that Xu Xing still looked puzzled, Bai Ji immediately understood and said, "The male cultivator is a Foundation Establishment stage human cultivator, while the female cultivator is a Golden Core stage demon cultivator named Qing Man, who is a half-demon, and her mother is a mermaid."
The Southern Wilderness Water Cloud Immortal Capital is close to the Demon Realm. Unlike the sects in the human realm, it not only recruits human cultivators but also a few demon cultivators. They act arbitrarily, which is disliked by the self-proclaimed orthodox human cultivation sects.
Most demons who take human form do not have heterochromatic eyes, but those with bloodline defects or half-demons are different. Because they cannot fully control their bloodline, they often exhibit demonic characteristics in certain aspects.
Although Xu Xing had seen some demon cultivators during this time, they all had black eyes. This was the first time he had seen a demon cultivator with eyes of unusual color. No wonder everyone who saw her eyes immediately guessed that she was a demon cultivator...
Xu Xing frowned, lost in thought. This woman had half-demon blood, which was why she had blue eyes. But what about her? If her unknown mother was a demon, could that be the reason she had golden eyes? But if he was truly a half-demon, why did no one else notice?
"Venerable ones, please look at the first item up for auction: the fruit of a thousand-year-old Qingxin tree. It has the effect of calming the mind and promoting tranquility, ensuring the practitioner's clear mind and freedom from external distractions..."
While he was pondering, the two auctioneers on stage began their presentations. Xu Xing sat up straight, wanting to hear if there was anything he could use.
As she listened, she became discouraged. The auction items started at a minimum of one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and the bids increased by one hundred and one at a time. It was easy to bid up to a thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Xu Xing had thought that his savings of more than 20,000 spirit stones would be enough to splurge a little, but now it seemed that it was not enough.
However, the main reason is that she had mostly refined first- and second-tier pills and artifacts before, which did not yield high profits. But if she switched to third-tier quality pills, it would be different. The higher the grade of the pills, the more spirit stones she could earn. After all, for Xu Xing, refining pills was as simple as eating and drinking, and he hardly had to worry about wasting pills.
Soon, as one rare and precious item after another was auctioned off, the atmosphere at the auction became increasingly heated, with almost nothing going unsold, and Qingman's smile became even brighter.
"This is a fragment of a treasure map, but only half of it. What is certain is that it depicts a large secret realm. Its value is immeasurable. The starting bid is 100 mid-grade spirit stones, with no limit on the increment."
A tattered roll of parchment was brought to the stage. It was very old, and the lines drawn on it looked like a map.
"Miss Qing, that's not fair of you. You're calling this map a treasure map just because you found it somewhere? Then tell me, what kind of secret realm is this treasure map, and what treasure is hidden inside?"
Qingman's smile remained unchanged as she said loudly, "Although it's only half, I would say it comes from the demon realm, and is very likely from the secret realm of a high-level alchemist."
"Gentlemen, the secret realm depicted on this treasure map has never appeared in the world before, which means that no cultivator has ever entered it. It holds countless treasures waiting to be discovered. As long as... you can bid on this treasure map."
As an auctioneer, Qingman naturally has a silver tongue and can make even the most ordinary things sound wonderful. However, the cultivators sitting below are not fools. No matter how well she speaks, this parchment scroll is actually just a piece of tattered paper of unknown origin.
What kind of secret realm has never appeared in the world? To put it bluntly, it's hard to say whether this secret realm even exists!
"It seems that Luohu Trading Company is not honest either. They can just bid on any piece of paper without any basis, and they don't even know what kind of secret realm it is."
"Exactly, if I draw a map now and call it a treasure map, do you think I can sell it? You're kidding me..."
"Let's hurry up and release the Glazed Token for auction!"
Seeing that no one in the audience was willing to buy, Qingman felt helpless. This item didn't actually belong to the Luohu Trading House; it was auctioned off by disciples of the Shuiyun Immortal Capital. There were two Glazed Tokens at this auction, one of which was brought by the Shuiyun Immortal Capital disciples. They weren't just consigning the Glazed Token; they were also selling the tattered paper scroll and the several high-grade pills in front of it.
Luohu Trading House was originally under the name of Shuiyun Xiandu. Since the disciples of the sect had made a request, and there was money to be made, there was no reason to refuse. However, those disciples could not explain what kind of secret realm the map depicted was, so they naturally could not get a price. The starting bid of one hundred was already too high, and it was likely to go unsold.
Qingman waited a while longer, and seeing that no one was bidding, she was about to withdraw the bid when a male voice came from the second floor, "One hundred mid-grade spirit stones."
She looked up, her blue eyes piercing through the darkness, and recognized the speaker as Bai Ji, who was also at the Luohu Trading Company. Her gaze swept over the woman beside her colleague, and Qing Man understood immediately. It seemed that the female cultivator he was with was about to bid.
After the auction began, this Fairy Yu didn't bid on a single item, as if she wasn't the one who had spent thousands of spirit stones in the outer area that day. Bai Ji occasionally spoke up to tell her about the wonders of the spiritual items on stage, but she remained unmoved. As the auction passed its halfway point, Bai Ji's smile gradually began to falter.
In the days leading up to and following the auction, items sold at the Luohu Trading House were always more expensive than usual. Seeing that she bought the Xuanwu Essence Crystal for eight hundred spirit stones without batting an eye, Bai Ji originally thought she had encountered a rich but foolish person and came over to serve her. Who knew that she was indeed foolish, but not necessarily rich!
Bai Ji looked at Xu Xing sitting in the chair with a hint of anxiety in his eyes. He glanced around, feeling regretful; it was too late to change people now. He was actually an auction assistant at the Luohu Trading House, earning a commission for each cultivator he accompanied who successfully bid on an item.
There's still a second half to go, he thought to himself, maybe this person has something on their mind. As long as they bid over ten thousand spirit stones, his deal is in the bag!
As Bai Ji was secretly anxious, Xu Xing finally spoke, gesturing with her chin towards the tattered paper roll on the stage.
No way...
With a stiff smile, Bai Ji helped Xu Xing bid on the "treasure map" for a starting price of one hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
Unaware of what the handsome man beside her was thinking, Xu Xing became somewhat excited. She looked at the scroll of paper and found it very familiar. After racking her brains for a long time, she finally remembered that when she was still in Xiahe Village, she had caught a tattered scroll of paper while fishing. At the time, she couldn't figure out what it was, so she put it in her backpack and didn't pay attention to it again.
Now it seems that the scroll of paper is quite similar to the treasure map being auctioned on stage, but it cannot be confirmed. Since no one else is bidding, Xu Xing simply bid for it. It's only one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, which she can afford. Besides, if she can really synthesize a complete map, she might be able to use it in the future.
Xu Xing was happy, but Bai Ji gritted his teeth and bought the item at the reserve price. He wouldn't even earn a single spirit stone! He had really misjudged the situation!
Taking advantage of the fact that he was standing and the seated person couldn't see his expression, he glared at her angrily. But then he suddenly felt a cold wind sweep over him and saw that the Golden Core cultivator who was with the female cultivator surnamed Yu was staring at him coldly with a warning look in his eyes.
Although this person was a Golden Core cultivator, his sharp sword intent was even stronger than that of any Nascent Soul sword cultivator he had ever seen. Bai Ji shuddered and dared not show any contempt again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there are two glass tokens in this auction. One of them, at the request of the token holder, will be auctioned now."
Qingman's voice was clear and resonant. She clapped her hands with a smile, and a cultivator presented a white jade tray from behind. On the tray was a light blue jade token, which was the Glazed Token!
As soon as the Glazed Token appeared, Xu Xing clearly felt the breathing of some cultivators around him quicken. It seemed their target was this item, but...
Xu Xing and Shen Du exchanged a glance, but although the glass tokens Fu Shuang gave them were exactly the same as the patterns on the stage, the color was purple.
What's going on here? Is there more than one type of Glazed Token?
Sensing Xu Xing's confusion, as if he wanted to ask Bai Ji, Shen Du raised his hand and gently tapped the table, shaking his head slightly. There were too many people around, and now was not the time to figure out the matter of the Glazed Token.
Xu Xing understood his senior brother's meaning, so he patiently listened to the auctioneer's introduction.
"This glass token was consigned to our trading house by someone else. It is not priced in spirit stones, but rather in barter. The other party can accept anything that can completely eradicate the poison of demonic blood, whether it is a pill, a spirit herb, or anything else."
Xu Xing remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was secretly astonished. How could someone here also be tainted by demonic blood? Could it be the same as the situation at the Immortal Academy, the work of the demon race?
"Miss Qing, could this Demon Blood Poison be the legendary essence blood refined from the body of a demonic beast?"
Someone in the audience immediately asked a question.
"good."
Upon hearing this, the cultivators below the stage began to whisper among themselves.
"The poison of demonic blood has penetrated deep into the meridians, making it extremely difficult to eradicate. Although the Glazed Token is excellent, only rare and precious materials can cure the poison of demonic blood..."
"The Seven-Leaf Lingzhi from the Demon Realm might be an option, but high-grade Seven-Leaf Lingzhi are very expensive, and it's not worth exchanging them for with Glazed Tokens."
The Glazed Token was indeed precious during the period when passage through the demon realm was prohibited, but it was, after all, just a token for entering the demon realm. Moreover, the struggle for the demon king has not yet been settled, and it is possible that the passage through the demon realm will be reopened after a demon ascends to the throne.
A treasure capable of curing demonic blood poison must be a life-saving spiritual object. Exchanging such a treasure for a token is not a worthwhile deal in the eyes of some cultivators.
Seeing that the commotion below the stage had subsided, Qingman said, "The owner of the token is willing to add another two thousand mid-grade spirit stones, only asking for the antidote."
Two thousand mid-grade spirit stones? That's enough to buy seventh-grade pills. The person behind this is so generous.
Xu Xing was somewhat tempted, but although the third-tier poison-removing pill in her hand could cure demonic blood, it depended on the severity of the poisoning. If the poison was made from the essence blood of a high-level demonic beast, the third-tier poison-removing pill would be powerless.
"I have a sixth-grade Purification Pill here, may I exchange it?"
Someone tried to speak.
Qingman on the stage shook her head and said regretfully, "We have tried common antidotes such as the Qingzhuo Pill, but they cannot cure the poison. Are there any other spiritual items?"
"A sixth-grade pill isn't even enough to exchange for a Glazed Token, let alone two thousand mid-grade spirit stones?"
Someone scoffed.
"I have a seventh-grade Dust-Free Pill to exchange for it. What do you think, Commander?"
The price of the Glazed Token isn't an exaggeration. It's currently around 4,000 mid-grade spirit stones on the market, but it can often be driven up to 5,000 at auctions. With an additional 2,000 mid-grade spirit stones, the temptation has led many to try exchanging their detoxifying spiritual items for it. However, while these detoxifying pills are indeed very good, they simply cannot cure the poison of demonic blood, or rather, they cannot eradicate it completely.
This is the terrifying aspect of the Demon Blood Poison. Even if a high-level antidote pill can cure it, it cannot restore the meridians damaged by the poison. Once a poisoned cultivator begins to cultivate, it will trigger the remaining demon blood in the meridians, causing them to suffer extremely painful torment.
Once a cultivator has been infected by demonic blood, they can no longer cultivate and can only live as an ordinary person who can no longer use spiritual power...
A cultivator who wanted the Glazed Token but couldn't produce the antidote suggested, "Fairy Qingman, since we can't get the antidote, why don't we start an auction for this Glazed Token?"
Qingman was also helpless, "The token owner only exchanges it, not sells it."
Time passed slowly, and no one else spoke. Qingman was surprised that such a strong attraction could not bring her the antidote. She was in a dilemma and glanced at a corner on the third floor.
"Senior brother, what if we can't get the antidote? Qianqian can't hold on any longer..."
No one knew that the people who exchanged the Glazed Token for the antidote were several disciples of Shuiyun Immortal Capital. Because Shuiyun Immortal Capital had exchanges with the Demon Realm, many of its core disciples possessed Glazed Tokens. This group had just come out of a secret realm. Their youngest junior sister had been ambushed by the demons in the secret realm and was poisoned by demon blood. She was now in a frenzy and had lost her mind.
To save their junior sister's life, the group pooled their accumulated spirit stones and bought many antidote pills, but none of them could eradicate the demonic blood. Now they had sold most of what they could, and two thousand mid-grade spirit stones were the last savings they could offer; they had no more.
"Why don't we go back to the sect first..."
"We secretly ran away to the demon realm and caused such a disaster. How can we face going back? Besides, my junior sister is poisoned to the lungs and internal organs. Even if we go back, it will be too late..."
"The seventh-grade Dustless Pill can cure demonic blood, so why not switch to this?"
"If this happens, Qianqian will never be able to cultivate again. This is worse than death!"
"Do you have any other ideas?"
"I……"
The female cultivator on the third floor glanced at the crowd below the stage. Seeing that no one else could produce a better antidote than the Dustless Pill, tears welled up in her eyes. Her proud junior sister... could it be...?
Just as Qingman waved regretfully, preparing to have the glass token removed, Bai Ji's eyes lit up after hearing Xu Xing's whisper, "Wait!"
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Author's Note: Thank you to Xixi and Diandao_Heibai for the nutrient solution! [Rose]
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